Representatives of La Sierrita Ejido [indigenous communal land] and Section 309 of the national miners union were received at the headquarters of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, at the annual meeting of the National Contact Points (NCPs), where they presented the case of
"human rights violations being perpetrated by the Canadian mining company Excellon Services."The representative of the ejido, Daniel Pacheco, said in the forum that the rights of Mexican campesinos [traditional small farmers] have been flagrantly violated by that company without the government stopping or sanctioningd the multinational, which has not only breached the land lease contract signed with the peasants, but has brought "legalistic actions" in order to not return 1,100 hectares [2,718 acres].
"Our rights have been repeatedly violated by the company for many years," Pacheco said.
He added that the ejidatarios [communal owners] hope their presentation of the case at the international forum will contribute to greater protection and respect for the rights of workers and ejidatarios, in La Sierrita, as well as in other parts of the country where multinational mining trample the rights of the peasants.
The forum was also attended by the director of the Project on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Ancheita Alejandra, who noted that this is the first time that members of civil society have been invited to speak at this intergovernmental meeting regarding the adverse impacts caused by the actions of a multinational company which, in addition to committing gross human rights violations, has demonstrated its unwillingness to dialogue and respect Mexican laws.
A complaint was filed by the ejido La Sierrita and Section 309 with the Mexican government in May 2012 for a series of actions committed by Excellon which violate OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises. Spanish original